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An Introduction to Evidence-based Design Accreditation and Certification - EDAC
An Introduction to Evidence-based Design Accreditation and Certification - EDAC
EVIDENCE-BASED DESIGN
IS THE PROCESS OF BASINGDECISIONSABOUT THE BUILT
ENVIRONMENT ON CREDIBLERESEARCHTO ACHIEVE THEBEST POSSIBLE OUTCOMES
Evidence-based Design (EBD) History and Background
Listed in SG1, pg. 27-28
EBD Process
Can design reallyCan design reallyaffect outcomesaffect outcomes??
Key Differences Between EBD and Typical Project Delivery
Addresses Healthcare Trends/Challenges
• Develops design strategies targeted at improving clinical, environmental and safety outcomes.
SG1, pg. 7-22, 29, 76-77
Research is Used
• EBD uses relevant evidence to educate the project team and guide the development of design strategies. The integration of these strategies is linked to achieving outcomes.
New Research is Created
• Conducting post-occupancy evaluation research to create new evidence and report the results.
The Two Bottom Lines for CEOs
1. First Time Capital Costs
2. Operating Costs
The Business Case – Return on Investment
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Source: Zofia Rybkowski, PhD Candidate, UC Berkeley, Engineering and Project Management, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
About EDAC & The Exam
Mission: To develop a community of certified industry professionals through education and assessment of an evidence-based design process.
Vision: A world where all healthcare environments are created using an evidence-based design process.
EDAC was created to:•Provide a definition of EBD and define a standard process for implementing EBD
•Establish expectations for individuals who are or will be using an EBD process
•Institutionalize EBD as an accepted and credible approach to improving healthcare outcomes
EDAC Mission and Vision
Exam Structure
All 110-items on the exam are built using stems, keys, and distracters.
•Stems: This is the statement or questions to which a candidate responds. This must be read very carefully to avoid answer choices based on a misread stem.
•Keys: This is the most appropriate choice of all the possible responses.
•Distracters: These are the additional three responses available to a candidate. They do not need to be entirely incorrect to make them the wrong choices. However, they are NOT the most appropriate choice.
Types of Exam Questions
• requires candidates to draw from memorized facts, so the correct response was previously learned
• does not have correct answers that vary with the situation
• characteristics: the question or statement is short with one variable.
• causes candidates to interpret, classify, translate, or recognize relationships
• has correct answers that vary based upon the situation
• characteristics: questions or statements have more than one variable and require careful reading and correlation of the answers with the variables in the question or statement.
ANALYSISANALYSIS
• requires information synthesis, problem solving, and selection of the best response
• has correct answers that vary based upon the situation
• candidates act on a problem and identify clues in the question or statement
• characteristics: the longest question/statement. Asks candidates to select the best answer. Requires careful reading to establish the relationship between variables in the question and the answer.
Test questions were developed based upon the exam content outline. The examination was developed by a group of volunteers with the facilitation and guidance of psychometricians.
The outline provides:
•The framework and outline for the three study guides
•Summary of everything that could possibly be on the exam
•The exam content outline can be downloaded from www.healthdesign.org/edac
Exam Outline
Five Focus Areas:
• EBD for Healthcare
• Research
• Pre-Design
• Design
• Construction & Occupancy
Exam Outline
Read all three study guides to:
• Gain an overview about the healthcare industry
• Understand the trends and challenges that impact healthcare construction
• Learn information about conducting research
• Contextualize the environment in which evidence-based design is practiced
Preparing for the Exam
Other Resources
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Benefits of EDAC Certification
EDAC certification is for anyone interested in formalizing their knowledge of the EBD process. The credential provides:
•Public recognition of your EBD expertise
•Increased value with employers and clients
•Ability to share a common language with project team members
•Credibility when justifying expenditures associated with design decisions and innovations
•Access to ongoing professional learning tools and newsletters
•Access to the a community of like-minded individuals
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How EDAC is Different Than Other Credentials
EDAC is complementary to other design industry credentials and provides added expertise to strengthen an individual’s knowledge. It is for anyone who is a member of a project team designing a new hospital, ambulatory center, or renovating an existing building. The EDAC program:
•Focuses on achieving improvement and outcomes in all three areas of safety (patient, staff and environment)
•Does not have pre-requisites or licensure requirements
•Tests your knowledge of the EBD process, not specific research
•Credential recognized across the U.S. and internationally
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Sample EDAC Exam Questions
Sample Question
RECALL: Central to making the business case for physical design innovations, what will need to be balanced against ongoing operating savings and revenue enhancements?
a. patient outcomes
b. one-time construction costs
c. longer design and construction timelines
d. project vision and mission
Sample Question - Answer
RECALL: Central to making the business case for physical design innovations, what will need to be balanced against ongoing operating savings and revenue enhancements?
a. patient outcomes
b. one-time construction costs
c. longer design and construction timelines
d. project vision and mission
Sample Question
APPLICATION: A project team is designing a brand new children’s hospice. Before starting the design, the team employed a researcher who conducted a study in three of the city’s existing hospices using the following tools: surveys; in-depth interviews; focus groups. Which of the following best describes the research methodology used?
a. applied research
b. mixed methods
c. quantitative
d. qualitative
Sample Question - Answer
APPLICATION: A project team is designing a brand new children’s hospice. Before starting the design, the team employed a researcher who conducted a study in three of the city’s existing hospices using the following tools: surveys; in-depth interviews; focus groups. Which of the following best describes the research methodology used?
a. applied research
b. mixed methods
c. quantitative
d. qualitative
Sample Question
ANALYSIS: A summary of EBD research in an architectural magazine indicates that carpeting is associated with a reduction in patient falls and decreased workplace injuries; while nursing floor layout is associated with a reduction in patient falls and increased staff satisfaction. Given a limited budget, what should the organization do FIRST to determine where to invest its limited resources?
a.Select the design feature that is most in line with the EBD vision.
b.Check the hospital statistics to see which of the two design features will result in a greater reduction in operating costs.
c.Choose the design feature that is of most interest to the core design team.
d.Conduct a critical review of the existing research before making any decisions.
Sample Question - Answer
ANALYSIS: A summary of EBD research in an architectural magazine indicates that carpeting is associated with a reduction in patient falls and decreased workplace injuries; while nursing floor layout is associated with a reduction in patient falls and increased staff satisfaction. Given a limited budget, what should the organization do FIRST to determine where to invest its limited resources?
a.Select the design feature that is most in line with the EBD vision.
b.Check the hospital statistics to see which of the two design features will result in a greater reduction in operating costs.
c.Choose the design feature that is of most interest to the core design team.
d.Conduct a critical review of the existing research before making any decisions.
Sample Question
ANALYSIS: One of the members of the interdisciplinary project team, an experienced nurse, brought in a research report from a peer-reviewed journal that indicated that the efficiency of care provided by the nursing staff is influenced by the layout of patient rooms. This team member argued that the bulk of the EBD budget be spent on this design feature. The team MUST:
a.Allocate the bulk of the budget to patient room redesign, based on this evidence.
b.Validate the research by finding hospitals that have shown an increase in staff efficiency based upon layout of patient rooms.
c.Find evidence to support a wider range of EBD features before deciding how the budget should be allocated.
d. Ignore the recommendation because the report lacks rigor.
Sample Question - Answer
ANALYSIS: One of the members of the interdisciplinary project team, an experienced nurse, brought in a research report from a peer-reviewed journal that indicated that the efficiency of care provided by the nursing staff is influenced by the layout of patient rooms. This team member argued that the bulk of the EBD budget be spent on this design feature. The team MUST:
a.Allocate the bulk of the budget to patient room redesign, based on this evidence.
b.Validate the research by finding hospitals that have shown an increase in staff efficiency based upon layout of patient rooms.
c.Find evidence to support a wider range of EBD features before deciding how the budget should be allocated.
d. Ignore the recommendation because the report lacks rigor.
Sample Question
ANALYSIS: A hospital-based project team wants to make sure that the observation instrument they developed has a high degree of reliability. They should:
a)Test it in a variety of settings both within and outside the hospital.
b)Have several researchers use it within a specified timeframe and place with the same subjects and see if similar results are achieved.
c)Ask an experienced researcher to validate that the instrument is measuring what it is supposed to measure.
d) Collect opinions on the instrument from within the design team.
Sample Question - Answer
ANALYSIS: A hospital-based project team wants to make sure that the observation instrument they developed has a high degree of reliability. They should:
a)Test it in a variety of settings both within and outside the hospital.
b)Have several researchers use it within a specified timeframe and place with the same subjects and see if similar results are achieved.
c)Ask an experienced researcher to validate that the instrument is measuring what it is supposed to measure.
d)Collect opinions on the instrument from within the design team.
Sample Question
ANALYSIS: A research study on the impact of nature views on gallbladder surgery patients showed that nature had the restorative effect that was hypothesized. The study was conducted in a hospital, and designed so that patients were randomly assigned to a room with a “view of nature” or “no view of nature,” and all possible confounding variables were controlled. The study design was:
a)Experimental
b)Quasi-experimental
c)Correlational
d)Case Study
Sample Question - Answer
ANALYSIS: A research study on the impact of nature views on gallbladder surgery patients showed that nature had the restorative effect that was hypothesized. The study was conducted in a hospital, and designed so that patients were randomly assigned to a room with a “view of nature” or “no view of nature,” and all possible confounding variables were controlled. The study design was:
a)Experimental
b)Quasi-experimental
c)Correlational
d)Case Study
Get the EDAC Credential1. Apply for the exam
2. Download the candidate handbook
3. Read the study guides
4. Review the exam content outline
5. Participate in a study session
6. Take the sample exam
Visit www.healthdesign.org/edac for more information.
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Contact Information
Catherine AnchetaThe Center for Health Design
925.521.9404, ext. 122
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